I Loved Her First
by laurah2215
Summary: Series: The Concannon's:Present Past and Future. Story #1 CJ and Danny watch their daughter get married.


Title: I Loved Her First

Title: I Loved Her First  
Author: Laura H  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. If you sue, you'll inherit my campus  
meal card and a defunct laptop. Lyrics to "I Loved Her First" sung by  
"Heartland.  
Rating: PG/Teen/T  
Synopsis: Doesn't follow a previous timeline. CJ and Danny's  
daughter's wedding day. Pure fluff for my amusement. I could be  
studying, I choose to write. Don't expect anything spectacular.  
Written in under 2 hours.

They made her promise to wait until she graduated Yale law  
school. Her last exam had been Tuesday, and now it's Saturday and  
she's slipping the ivory satin gown over her head in the same room her  
mother had dressed for her own wedding over a quarter century ago. The  
room belongs to her surrogate grandmother and namesake and hasn't lost  
any of it's regal beauty since her surrogate grandfather had died  
eighteen years prior. The pearls accentuating her neck had been a  
Valentine's gift from her father to her mother a couple weeks after  
she was born. The silver bracelet serves as a reminder of her  
surrogate grandparent's excellent example of enduring love and  
devotion. The pearl earrings, given to her by her fiancé during his  
first opportunity to purchase a lavish gift for her, remind her of the  
nearly thirteen years she has been waiting for this moment.

"Are you sure it's all tucked in right?" Abbey Cregg Concannon  
examines her backside in the vanity mirror, wanting to ensure absolute  
perfection for this day after two years of planning.

CJ adjusts the veil and smiles warmly at her grown daughter in  
the mirror. " You're perfect."

"Are the guys here yet? I don't want them to forget the cake or  
the guests or…"

"Don't you worry, sweetheart. Your father, Josh and Noah have it  
all under control," Abbey Bartlet assures the young woman from her  
spot perching on her bed.

"Not usually a combination I prefer to leave to their own  
devises," CJ teases in jest.

"Why don't I go send Danny up if you're ready?" Abbey Bartlet  
offers kindly, lifting herself up with her aging bones.

"Thank you, Grandma," young Abbey responds gratefully, her  
stomach a nest of fluttering butterflies.

"You gonna make it?" CJ inquires concernedly, reaching out to  
steady her daughter's arm.

"I hate the attention, that's all. I don't wanna fall on my  
face," Abbey replies, pacing across the room.

CJ chuckles softly. " That's exactly how I felt on my wedding day."

"You were nervous?" Abbey asks in disbelief. Aside from Jed  
Bartlet's funeral and Patrick Cregg Concannon's birth and many  
hospital visits, her mother had always been the epitome of calm.

"No, not nervous per say. I just wanted to get it all over and  
start my life with your father."

"That's how I feel. Except, Noah and I have so much to deal with now."  
A flicker of melancholy plagues Abbey's eyes.

"Yes, you do. But guess what? You'll get good at new stuff.  
You'll learn how to cook and clean and pay bills and manage a  
household. You'll make sure you communicate and keep your love alive.  
When your father and I married, I was so worried I'd screw it up.  
Worried that I couldn't have an important job and be a good wife and  
mother. Women can have everything these days, and if you work hard  
enough, you can be great at it all. I can't promise you it will be  
easy, though." CJ lifts a lock of curly dark red hair away from  
Abbey's face.

Abbey nods mutely, considering her mother's words. She and Noah  
had been blessed. They had two sets of parent who provided excellent  
examples of how true love can overcome anything.

"Knock ,knock." Danny pokes his graying head into the room, his  
contagious grin flashing. "Are you ready for me?" He takes a step into  
the bedroom and stops short, pausing to admire his wife and little  
girl decked out in their best wedding attire. " Abbey, you, you look  
absolutely incredible." He can almost see a younger, slightly more  
innocent, version of CJ on their wedding day in his daughter's  
appearance. With dark red locks, blazing blue eyes and long legs,  
Abbey had gotten her mother's physical genes and her father's talent  
for the art of words.

Abbey blushes slightly. Even at twenty-five, her father's  
approval means the world to her. "Thank you."

" I'll let you two have a minute. But as you talk, keep in mind  
there's a reeling groom downstairs trying to keep his hair smooth  
enough to last through pictures and counting down the seconds until he  
can see his bride." CJ grins with sparkling eyes and pecks her  
daughter on the cheek (careful not to smudge the makeup). "Front row,  
center, if you need anything. I love you. You're gonna be fantastic."

"Thank you, Mom. I love you, too." Abbey watches her mother's  
retreating form before finally meeting Danny's eyes.

"So, this is it, huh?" Danny takes a step across the threshold.

Abbey nods evenly " Yeah."

"You sure this is what you want? We can still cancel. Maybe you  
want to join a convent or work as a celibate school teacher?" Danny  
raises an eyebrow hopefully, but it's all in jest.

"Yeah, I'm sure I want this. I've known this is what I want for  
ten years. Noah's the right guy, Daddy." Her gaze is vacant, but her  
words are firm and full of conviction.

" I know. And even though no man will ever be good enough for  
you, if I had to pick someone to bring you so much happiness, then it  
would definitely be him. So, I won't stand in your way. Let's go get  
you married," Danny reaches his hand out to his little girl, like he  
had done on her first day of kindergarten, first day of college, and  
millions of times over the last twenty-five years.

"Does it make you feel old to have a married child?" Danny  
inquires conversationally, accepting his beer from the bartender and  
turning to Josh.

"It made me feel old to start receiving social security checks,"  
Josh quips seriously.

Danny chuckles throatily in response, sipping his drink slowly.  
It would be one of those nights when CJ would be forced to cut him off  
before he embarrassed himself.

"Look at them. They're practically inseparable," Josh remarks,  
noticing that the bride and groom had finally found each other after a  
couple of hours of mingling in the crowd assembled on the Bartlet farm.

"Yeah. I used to hate that when they were teenagers. Now I'm  
hoping it'll do them good." Danny sends up(not the first) silent  
prayer. He wants God to look out for his children. He won't be around  
forever, and these kids will need as much help as they can get. He  
spots Abbey running across the dance floor to him, her heels clicking  
enthusiastically.

"Put your beer down, Daddy, it's time for the father/daughter  
dance," Abbey grasps Danny's hand, bouncing with pride and all the  
excitement of a new bride.

"Can Ella and I join you?" Josh inquires, smiling at his  
daughter-in-law.

"Sure. It's for everyone," Abbey informs him, leading Danny by  
the hand toward the dance floor.

Look at the two of you dancing that way  
Lost in the moment and each others face  
So much in love your alone in this place  
Like there's nobody else in the world

"I was afraid you'd be too busy to want to dance with your old  
man," Danny admits, holding his little girl close (hopefully not for  
the last time).

"I'd never forget about you, Daddy," Abbey smiles softly.

" I know I haven't been the only important guy in your life for a  
while now, but it makes me sad to think that someone's gonna take my  
place."

Abbey cocks an eyebrow in that way her mother does. " Daddy,  
I've told you before; Noah may be the love of my life, but you'll  
always be my father and you'll always occupy a big part of my heart."

I was enough for her not long ago  
I was her number one  
She told me so  
And she still means the world to me  
Just so you know  
So be careful when you hold my girl

Time changes everything  
Life must go on  
And I'm not gonna stand in your way

But I loved her first and I held her first  
And a place in my heart will always be hers  
From the first breath she breathed  
When she first smiled at me  
I knew the love of a father runs deep  
And I prayed that she'd find you someday  
But It's still hard to give her away  
I loved her first

"Do you, do you remember when you were going through chemo' and  
you lost all your hair and we couldn't get you to go outside or even  
look in a mirror because you thought we wouldn't think you were  
beautiful without your hair?" Danny asks gently, painfully  
resurrecting twenty-one year-old memories.

Abbey nods sadly, with a smile. "You made such a big deal of my  
hair."

"Yes, but then I told you that I didn't love you because you had  
your mother's hair or eyes, but because you were my little girl and no  
matter what happened you'd always be my princess."

Abbey nods again, tears welling on the thickly coated lashes. "  
And you gave me your Red Sox cap and I wore it every day until I had a  
full set of hair. Why do you bring it up?"

Danny shrugs, closing his eyes. " I dunno. You've just come a  
long way since then. You're all grown up now."

"So are you. You've come a long way from that over-protective  
father who insisted on checking up with me every time I was out with  
my boyfriend." Abbey cracks a grin, letting him know that she's not  
upset with him the way she had been at fourteen. Back then she didn't  
know how deep the love of a parent really reaches.

Danny gazes off into he distance with a small smile. "And don't  
think I don't intend to continue to check up on you all the time."

"Why do you think Noah and I chose Washington?" Abbey deadpans  
with a full smile.

How could that beautiful women with you  
Be the same freckle face kid that I knew  
The one that I read all those fairy tales to  
And tucked into bed all those nights  
And I knew the first time I saw you with her  
It was only a matter of time

But I loved her first and I held her first  
And a place in my heart will always be hers  
From the first breath she breathed  
When she first smiled at me  
I knew the love of a father runs deep  
And I prayed that she'd find you someday  
But its still hard to give her away  
I loved her first

From the first breath she breathed  
When she first smiled at me  
I knew the love of a father runs deep  
Someday you might know what I'm going through  
When a miracle smiles up at you  
I loved her first

"Hey, you're awfully quiet." Noah slides into a chair beside  
Danny. He shrugs out of his tux jacket and commences drinking his  
glass of whiskey.

"So, I've been thinking. I know you guys got your heart set on  
Washington, but if CJ talks to the governor, she can probably get you  
a staffer position in the gubernatorial offices in California." Danny  
throws it out there, knowing full well his son-in-law won't be interested.

Noah smiles awkwardly. "Thanks, Danny. But we've already got an  
apartment and Abbey's got her job at the Children's Defense Council. I  
think we'll be comfortable where we are."

"Damn. CJ and I really don't want to live in Washington again."  
Danny shakes his head in disappointment.

"Don't worry. We'll visit a lot and you and CJ are always  
welcome to stay in the spare room." It's so simple to Noah. He loves  
his parents and in-laws, but there's nothing keeping him in  
California. Since leaving for school seven years ago, he had only  
been home when Abbey or Donna forced him there. When he was at  
Harvard doing his undergrad and Abbey was at Georgetown, he had  
traveled to Washington to see her, effectively spending his extra  
savings on train tickets and (later) gas for his little Audi.

Danny stands up and drains his glass. " If you have a daughter,  
you'll understand. And if you do have children, I guarantee you your  
parents, CJ and I will buy out your neighbours so we don't miss a  
second of grandparenthood."

"You want Abbey and I to have kids?" Noah raises an eyebrow,  
surprised after all Danny had said to Abbey about independence and  
pursuing her goals.

"I want you two to make the best decisions for you. But I can  
say that if you have a little girl someday, you'll understand how I  
feel right now. You think you love your wife? Wait until that helpless  
little being grasps your finger for the first time. Anyway, I'll let  
you live your life. Just promise me you'll take care of her."

Noah nods, transfixed by Danny's words. " I promised you that  
twelve years ago. That covenant has only grown stronger. She'll always  
be in good hands."

The End


End file.
